Signaling device



Dec. 23,1941, E. s. PIETRKOWSKI SIGNALING DEVICE Filed Oct. 10, 1940 fRNEST s. PIETR KO wsm Patented Dec. 23, 1941 SIGNALING DEVICE Ernest S. Pietrkowski, New York, N. Y., assignor to Consolidated Molded Products Corporation, Scranton, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Application October 10, 1940, senaino. 360,540

50mins. (01.116-135) This invention relates to signaling device's'and has for an object to provide a light and portable device which is adapted'to rest upon a restaurant table and whereby the attention of a waiter may be effectively secured by a person seated thereat. A further object is to provide in such a device simple and easily operated means for bringing it from a neutral to an efiective signaling position with a minimum of effort on the part of the person operating it. I A still further object is to provide such a device consisting of but few parts and easy and economical to manufacture. I Other and further objects and advantages will appear from the following description of one embodiment of the invention, in connection with the annexed drawing in which Fig. 1 is an elevation showing the device in its ineffective or non-signaling position;

Fig. 2 is an elevation, partly in section, showing the device of Fig. l in its effective or signaling position.

Fig. 3 is a sectionlon the line 3-3 of Fig. 2,

and l Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, III is a suitable base in which is vertically mounted a guide rod ,ll of metal or other suitable material. Slidably mounted on said rod is the signaling member I! which may be of any appropriate form and color such as a white sphere, provided witha cylindrical bore [3 extending therethrough to receive said rod ll upon which. it may freely slide.

Encircling the rod l I and seated upon the base 10 is a coil spring l4 upon which'the signaling member normally rests, and which, when put under compression by a downward pressure of the hand upon the signaling member I 2 and then released, is adapted to drive said signaling member to the upper end of the rod H.

The signaling member I2 is preferably composed of a light, yielding, resilient material, such, for instance, as cork or soft rubber, or it may be composed of a hard material possessing little or no resiliency, in which case the walls of the bore 13 may consist of an inserted sleeve or bushing of cork, soft rubber or other suitable material. f

The rod H is cylindrical incross section for the greater portion of its length. Towards its upper end, however, it is curvilinear quadrilateral in cross section and flares outwardly at a slight angle, thus gradually increasing the thickness of the rod ll towards the top where it is reater than the diameter of the bore I3, and providing four'diverging corner edges l to engage the walls of the bore 13. The extent of such gradual increase in the thickness of the upper portion of the rod H is just sufficient so that in relation to the driving power of, the spring ,|4 the walls of the bore [3 will yield sufiiciently topermitonly a part of the signaling member I! to pass .zeyond the top of the rod where," however, it will bebrought to a stop and held in such position by the progressive wedging of the di-,

verging corner edges l5 into the yielding resilient walls of the bore l3 as shown in Figs. 2

and 3. I H

The operation of the device is as follows: When, for instance, the customer in a restaurant wishes to signal a waiterxhe presses downward upon the signaling member I2 so as to compress the spring l4 and immediately lets go. The signaling member I2 is then driven by the expansion ofthe spring upward on the rod ll until it encounters .the diverging corner edges l5, when the yielding quality of the material forming the inner walls of the bore l3 permits the signaling member H! to continue a short distance beyond until it is brought to .a stop and is held there in such upper position, thereby notifying the waiter who sees it that his services are required at that particular table. The signaling member may be then pressed down by the hand to a position beneath the top of the rod H from which it will fall to its non-signaling position at rest upon the spring l4.

It is preferable for ease of operation that the spring H be such as not to require very much force to compress it and only of suflicient expansive power to drive the signaling member l2 partly beyond the top of the rod, which in turn will require that the said signaling member be light in weight, that the resilient material forming the walls of the bore l3 be sufficiently yielding, and that the extent of flare or angle of divergence of the corner edges l5 be such as to permit the said corner edges to wedgegradually into the walls of the bore for a portion of its length. Furthermore, the increased thickness of the rod at the top should be sufficient to prevent the signaling member from being driven off the rod. All of these factors may, however, be easily determined by one skilled in the art.

The flaring upper portion of the rod may be in the form on an inverted cone to achievesimilar results; but the polygonal cross-sectional form herein described has the advantage that it engages the walls of the bore only along a number ference thus preventing wear on said walls in long use of the device and, since the signaling member is rotatable on the rod, successively new portions of the walls will be engaged by the said corner edges of the rod in the course of ordinary use. The top of the rod. should preferably be rounded as shown in the drawing so as not to injure the hand when the signaling member is pressed down by the palm.

It is to be understood that the invention is to be in no wise restricted to the embodiment illustrated or referred to, but that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. A signaling device comprising .an upwardly extending guide, a signaling member provided with a bore slidably mounted on said guide, the walls of said bore being composed of a yielding resilient material, a spring located adjacent the lowerlend of said guide in operative "relationship -withsaid signaling member and adapted when energized to drive said signaling member upward- 1 ly alongsaid guide and means for limiting the upwardtravel of said signaling member to a selected position on said guide and 'retaining'it in such selected position, said limiting and retaining means comprising an enlargement-of said rod coactinglwith'thewalls of said bore.

l 2.1A. signaling devicncomprising a base, a' rodmounted :on s'aid'cbase" and extending upwardly therefrom, a signaling member provided. with a borei'formed ofsa yielding resilient" material 1 adapted::to receive'ssaid rod .and' permit asaid signaling-membento Islide freely;onwsaid rod, a :springf-locateds at ithe lower "e1id;:.'of.-saidt rod in -cdperativerelationshipswithasaidisignalingmember and adapted when. energized tordriveusaid sig- :inaling zmember. to. :thei'top :rof :s'aid; rod, lt lie'ctop portion of said rod being provided with-. anuen: :larged portion :thereof' ito'; wedge itight'lyiin the r bbre er saidnsignaling': member;- therebyrto limit securely atthe top of said rod.

theitravel :of said signaling "member, and hold it bore of said signaling member, thereby to limit .the travel of said signaling member and hold it securely at the top of said rod.

' 4. A signaling device comprising a base, an upwardly extending guide, a signaling member provided with a bore slidably mounted on said guide, the walls of said bore being composed of a yielding resilient material, means located adjacent :said base. in operative relation with said 'signaling I. member v:and. adapted to :drive said": signaling member 'upwardly away :from said driving. means along .said guide and means for l-imiting'themupward "travel a of said signaling a member r to asse- 'lected po'sition toncsaid' guide and retaining it in such selected position,'"said:limiting. andretainling means comprisingan enlargement 'of'said rod coacting with'the'walls'of'said bore.

' 5. A signaling device comprising a'base, axlon- 'gitudinally extending guide, a signaling. member provided" with axbore :slidablymounted on said guide, 'meansilocated adjacent said. base'in operative relation" with said signaling member and .iadapted to drive .said'signalingmember-away from said drivingzmeans along said'guidepand 'i means carried by said guide and coacting with the walls of'rsaid bore to' limit the'travel of 'said signaling member 'to a selected position on said guide and retainit in such position.

' ERNEST S.'PIETRKOWSKI, 

